Rowing is a very old, well developed sport that is engaged in around the world. There is competitive rowing at the high school level, at the college and university level and in private rowing clubs. Rowing has been a recognized sport at the Olympic level since 1896 with essentially all countries now participating in Olympic rowing competition.
Intense scientific research and development has been conducted on the design and development of the boats, oars, oarlocks and other equipment used in rowing to improve the performance of the rowers and the speed of the boats used in competitive rowing. The shapes of the hulls of the boats, for example, have been refined many times to try to reach the ultimate configuration for speed. The shape of the oar blade has likewise been changed to match a particular crew preference, water and wind conditions and the like. Some of the changes in equipment have made a marked improvement in the performance of the rowers such as the invention of the sliding seat for the rowers. Others have made slight but important improvements that can result in winning close races.
A notable exception to the ongoing improvements in the equipment for rowing is the handle of the oar. The overall shape of the oar handle currently used is the same as it has been since time immemorial, namely, an elongated round cylinder. Oar handles have been made of different materials than the traditional wood, and have been made adjustable so the total length of the oar can be changed. But the changes have at best been very slight.
Competitive rowing can be broadly divided into two types, sculling and sweep rowing. There is significant difference in the method of rowing when sculling as compared to when sweep rowing. These differences result in a marked difference in the balance of the rowing stroke and the physical effects of rowing on the rowers.
When sculling, an individual rower holds a matched pair of oars with one of the oars on the starboard side and the other on the port side of the boat. At the start of the rowing stroke, the rower, who is facing backwards and sitting on a sliding seat, moves forward, holds the handles of each oar with his hands and extends both arms fully toward the stern of the boat. The oars pivot in their respective oarlocks and the blade of the oar extends toward the bow of the boat. The rower simultaneously pulls both oars keeping his arms straight and his body in alignment with the keel of the boat. The rower leans backwards, equally using the muscles of his torso and both legs to pull the oars toward him. During the stroke he slides toward the bow while remaining in alignment with the keel of the boat. The arms of the rower remain parallel to the keel of the boat. The line of the shoulders remains essentially perpendicular to the keel. Toward the end of the stroke, when the rower's body and legs are almost fully extended, the rower bends his elbows and pulls the oars toward his chest to complete the stroke. Sculling results in a very balanced rowing stroke.
Sweep rowing is different from sculling both in the method of pulling the oars and, in particular, in the relative lack of balance and the physical strains placed on the rowers. Using a conventional sweep oar, both hands are positioned on a cylindrical handle of a single oar. At the start of the stroke the rower leans forward and twists his upper body, and in particular his shoulders, outwardly at an angle to the keel line. The oar is held at an acute angle to the keel of the boat. Because of the relative angle of the oar to the keel, the arm most distant from the oar is fully stretched while the arm closest to the oarlock is bent at the elbow to compensate for the different distances of the rower's torso from the oar. As the oar is pulled the rower twists his upper body to align it with the line of the keel as he completes his stroke. In addition, the oar is held at an angle with respect to the water which causes the shoulder furthest from the oarlock to be higher than the shoulder nearest the oarlock. Because of the relative position of the oar and the body of the rower, the arm most distant from the oarlock is principally used to complete the stroke until almost the end of the stroke.
The inherent imbalance of sweep rowing causes a number of long recognized problems. The movement of the rower's body out of alignment with the keel at the start of each stroke can cause the boat to go out of balance or even turn the boat. Pairs of rowers with one rower on each side of the boat are used to compensate for this problem when sweep rowing. In theory this should correct the problem but in practice, rowers are rarely perfectly matched in weight and strength so as to balance each other.
A significant difference between sculling and sweep rowing is that if all other factors are equal, such as the size of the boat, the number of rowers and the weight and experience of the rowers, a boat that is sculled will inherently be faster than a boat which is sweep rowed. The reason for this has not previously been fully understood. In addition, experienced scullers can row a sweep rowed boat and be reasonably effective. On the other hand, experienced sweep rowers cannot generally make an occasional transition to a scull rowed boat and be effective. Sweep rowers have problems in maintaining the inherent balance of sculling noted above.
Another problem encountered when sweep rowing is that the physical imbalances in the use of the body's muscles cause physical damage to the bodies of sweep rowers. The leg muscles of the leg closest to the oarlock, and the muscles of the side of the back and the arm away from the oarlock are primarily used to pull the oar in sweep rowing. This isometric method of pulling the oar in sweep rowing places unbalanced stresses on the entire body of the rower. Persons who sweep row competitively typically develop their rowing muscles asymmetrically and as a result there is an unhealthy imbalance in the muscle development from one side of the body to the other. Competitive rowers, as they start to develop, have to select to row on the starboard or port side of the boat because of the imbalance in their muscle development. The imbalances encountered in sweep rowing have resulted in competitive rowers training to change their bodies to compensate for the problems inherent in conventional sweep rowing equipment.
The problems of the imbalance in muscle development and the stresses placed on the sweep rower's body are well known. Authorities on rowing, such as Dr. Earnest Herberger in his book "Rowing" suggest that the training and development of rowers should start in the early teenage years but the rowing should be strictly limited to sculling to prevent permanent damage to the spine and back muscles of a rower until the body's bone structure is fully developed in the late teens or early twenties.
Another important disadvantage encountered in competitive conventional sweep rowing is that there is inherently more fatigue of the rowers, especially during periods of maximum output as compared to sculling. This again is believed to be due to the asymmetric use of the body muscles in sweep rowing where only certain muscles do most of the work as compared to sculling where there is a much more balanced use of the body's muscles.
What would be highly advantageous would be equipment improvements in the apparatus used for sweep rowing, to improve the balance of the rowing stroke by rowers, and to decrease the adverse physical effects of sweep rowing on the rower's body. It would also be advantageous if the speed of sweep rowed boats could be increased along with a reduction in the adverse effects of sweep rowing on the body of the rowers.